Do You Have A “Secret Weapon?"

[dragnlaw]

Marmite, Bovril, Vegemite, got me on that one. Lol, my ex (British) first gave me some on a piece of bread, but never told me what it was. I, innocently, believed it was some sort of jam. I took a huge mouthful expecting sweet and got a huge mouthful of salt.
I gagged and have never touched the stuff since. My sons take after their dad, of course, and love that crap.

 

[taxlady]

I have tasted Marmite once. I liked it. I wouldn't want a lot of it at once. I have heard it can bump up the flavour of some dishes. It has a lot of umami. If I could find it somewhere around here to buy, I would.

 

[dragnlaw]

Bovril in its paste form was, maybe still is, not available in Quebec. His preferred choice, but Marmite was the sub for it.
Liquid form is what I use for extra flavours. I prefer it over BTB.
Àll available in Quebec, or was. Knorr, Bovril - beef, chicken or vegetable.

 

[caseydog]

Marmite, Bovril, Vegemite, got me on that one. Lol, my ex (British) first gave me some on a piece of bread, but never told me what it was. I, innocently, believed it was some sort of jam. I took a huge mouthful expecting sweet and got a huge mouthful of salt.
I gagged and have never touched the stuff since. My sons take after their dad, of course, and love that crap.

LOL.

Some people I know in the UK told me a half dozen ways to try Marmite, and were sure I'd like it if I ate it the right way. I tried about five of them, and felt like Charlie Brown, with the Brits being Lucy holding a football, and gave up (and threw the Marmite away).

The same "friends" told me to try HP Sauce. Nasty (but I also dislike A1 Steak Sauce). Then it was Heinz Salad Cream. Nasty.

Heinz baked beans were not nasty, just really bland.

I do like Bisto gravy, although I add a bunch of black pepper to it. I keep some in the pantry all the time.

CD

 

[CharlieD]

Sorry, but that stuff is nasty. How do you feel about Marmite?

CD

Well, I can’t say I love it, but it is pretty good. Like many other things, it’s an acquired taste.

 

[caseydog]

Well, I can’t say I love it, but it is pretty good. Like many other things, it’s an acquired taste.

I tend to think it is a personal taste. I don't think I could ever come to like Marmite, but that's okay. To each his own.

CD

 

[Aunt Bea]

A small pinch of pepper in pumpkin pie filling. It gives it that little "something" that's hard to figure out.

CG,
Your tip reminded me of these Sicilian chocolate spice cookies. They usually appear on a Christmas or wedding cookie tray.

Sometimes you see them with a vanilla glaze and sometimes a chocolate glaze.

Tetu

2-1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Crisco
1/2 cup cocoa
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup water

Icing:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon butter
splash vanilla

For cookies: In a bowl, cream sugar and Crisco. Add egg and cocoa, then sift in the remaining ingredients.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.

For icing: Mix together all ingredients, adding milk until achieving creamy consistency, not stiff.

When cookies are slightly cooled, top with icing.

 

[Aunt Bea]

At this point in my life, the telephone is my secret weapon!

 

[Badjak]

Secret weapon..
For me I suppose it's a dash of fish sauce or soy instead of salt.
Adding some chili's or something acidid.

Sometimes brine from olives or capers...

 

[pictonguy]

HIYaa

Uncle roger? lol

 

[dragnlaw]

I do like Bisto gravy, although I add a bunch of black pepper to it. I keep some in the pantry all the time.

CD

Completely forgot about Bisto. To me it is in the same category as AI, HP, etc. Casey you could have used the Marmite the same as BTB paste. I always thought that was how there were all originally supposed to be used.

 

[BAPyessir6]

I am really digging dehydrated milk (powder) and coconut cream (powder). While the fresh is probably superior, the powder lasts longer and especially with the coconut powder, I can have my curries thicker (I like em really thick, so does my husband) and that way I don't have to spend time evaporating liquid and risk scorching the batch if I get sidetracked. Also when I make my Thai chicken curry that my husband loves (using red curry paste, as I've tried Massaam and Penang along with yellow and just prefer straight red), I usually make enough for the week and use like nearly a pound of coconut powder to mellow out the spice. That's probably be quite a bit of coconut milk/cream.

 

[BAPyessir6]

I also have the world's tiniest tummy, so I never drink the milk I buy as 1 glass fills me up, so 75 percent of the time 3/4 of the gallon gets turned into yogurt/some sort of ricotta/or cheese.

 

[SGM Chef]

Great thread Jade!

I was going to start a thread "Season to taste" but this thread works nicely!

Season to taste does not mean that you must use white table salt only, just because the recipe says so...

Secret weapon - Vegemite/Marmite is my go-to when I make Vegan/Vegetarian dishes. I only think of either one of these products as a flavor base, in the same category as a Beef Base or Chicken Base. The cook gets to choose the salt source for every dish created. Using white salt for cooking potatoes and pasta is fine because most of that water gets dumped down the drain, thus economical. For sauces, soups, and stews, consider options for the salt. Vegemite/Marmite brings more to the dish than white salt.

**Anchovy paste is a secret weapon also. Please keep in mind you can always add more as this paste is POTENT! When I make New England Clam Chowder, use about one green peas worth of Anchovy Paste for a Gallon of chowder. Not enough to taste anchovy but to add a hint of ocean. Tiny amounts can be added for Seafood anything!

 

[KatyCooks]

HP sauce is an absolute MUST have for an English breakfast fry up. (For me that is, it's not like it's the law or anything.) Also, Marmite, spread thinly on buttered toast, and then topped with crunchy peanut butter is very tasty.

As for "secret" weapons... well not really, but I do tend to substitute dark soft brown sugar for white in baking as I think it adds a little something to the flavour. If it's a pale type of sponge though, I might swap out some of the white sugar for honey, which also adds a little something in flavour without changing the colour.

 

[pictonguy]

Yeah, Uncle roger is my secret weapon, he give me inspiration. Warning strong language.

EDIT: I switched the video from Jamie Oliver to Gordon Ramsey, sorry, thought the Jamie Oliver fans might have a cardiac moment.

 

[Jade Emperor]

Yeah, Uncle roger is my secret weapon, he give me inspiration. Warning strong language.

EDIT: I switched the video from Jamie Oliver to Gordon Ramsey, sorry, thought the Jamie Oliver fans might have a cardiac moment.

Love Uncle Roger.

 

[Silversage]

Acid.
A bit of acid, whether it's citrus, vinegar, wine, or something else, makes a big difference in preparing a well balanced dish. Many times I eat something that is creamy, cheesy, buttery, and my thought is " where is the acid to cut through the richness?)

 

[taxlady]

Acid.
A bit of acid, whether it's citrus, vinegar, wine, or something else, makes a big difference in preparing a well balanced dish. Many times I eat something that is creamy, cheesy, buttery, and my thought is " where is the acid to cut through the richness?)

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Silversage]

I guess I am answering my own question once again here. But…
There is a huge misconception that Asian people eat cats and dogs.
They simply don’t.
I travelled up the Mekong, toured Malay, spent a night in a camp bed next to a vicious guy who would kill you as easily sleep and was dazzled by Thailand.
Not once, never ever did I see our expressions of pets on any menu anywhere. Never

Actually, consumption of dog meat is legal in both Canada and Australia. And it's not uncommon in several Asian countries. Close to 30 million dogs per year are killed for human consumption. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_meat